Wine Betwixt their Horns

When the sibyl Deiphobe invoked Hekate to guide the heroes in Virgil’s Aeneid she (the priestess) makes offerings to the Goddess:

“The Priestess pours the wine betwist their horns,
Then cuts the curling hair, that first oblation burns,
Invoking Hecate hither to repair,
A powerful name in hell and upper air…”
(Dryden Translation)

This is just one example of sacrifice being made to the Goddess Hekate, which we discussed in Hekate Liminal Rites.  Hekate was, amongst other things, a cthonic goddess, and when cthonic deities were invoked a fire was usually made to burn offerings on, whereas a pit would be dug when dealing with daimones and ghosts.  An example of where this is recorded can be found in Seneca’s Medea:

“Now call on Hecate.  Prepare the death-dealing rites; let altars be errected, and let now their fires resound within the palace…”

Medea later hears the sound of barking dogs, which she takes as a sign of success from Hekate that her invocations and offerings had been successful.

Further references to such fire pits in association with the mysteries of Hekate can be found in the writings of Pausanias (2nd century BCE) and also in that of the Roman lyric poet Horace (1st century BCE).   We discuss these and many other examples of offerings in chapter 18 ‘Offerings’ of Hekate Liminal Rites so I will not repeat too much of that here, but instead I wish to dwell today on when and how offerings can be made today, and also on what might constitute suitable offerings.

It is well known that Hekate Suppers were prepared and left at the crossroads in the ancient world on the first of the month.  I have seen this misinterpreted by some modern pagan writers who believe that somehow this ‘first of the month’ would equate to the first day of each of our modern months, this is of course very very far from the truth!  Instead, the first of the month refers to the first day of a lunar calendar, ie. the time of the Dark / New Moon.  This is an auspicious time for magic today, just like it was in ancient times.  The offerings left at the crossroads at the Hekate Suppers often took the form of special cakes which were prepared for the occasions, but these were not the only offerings left at the crossroads for Hekate.

In addition to the cakes of the Hekate Suppers, we know that there were at least three types of offerings – katharmata (offscourings), katharsia (cleansings) and oxuthumia (sharp anger).

• Katharmata = leftovers of the portions of a sacrifice which were not used in a ceremony, ie. such things as blood and water.  These were often burnt.  It is also a term which could be applied to a scapegoat, a human who might have been offered as a sacrifice.
• Katharsia = the actual sacrifices, which for Hekate included such things as eggs, the bodies of dogs.
• Oxuthuma = baked clay censer which was used to fumigate the house for protection, and then taken and left at the crossroads.  It also describes the rubbish which was taken and burnt on the censer.

Where as I would personallly not engage in animal sacrifices, nor that of humans, I think that the third type of offering can still be used very effectively in the modern world.  We can burn sweet smelling and protective herbs and resins in the home, on a home made censer, clean our homes on a monthly basis and ceremonially burn the sweepings asking for Hekate’s protection on the home.  Likewise, there are many reasons why wine offerings make a suitable sacrifice to Hekate still today, and wine can be offered directly into the ground, or onto a fire (if you are able to make a fire directly onto the ground in a hole in the ground, it doesn’t have to be a large fire!).  By offering wine in this manner you are offering it both into the ground, and up to the sky – which is very appropriate for a goddess who holds sway over a portion of the Earth, Sky and Oceans …

Fire Fire Fire!

Sometimes when I think of the Orphic Oath ie. “I am a Child of Earth and Starry Heavens, but my race is of Heaven alone…” I wonder, why they forgot to include “Fire” in there somewhere.   I admit it, I am a pyromaniac.  I make no excuses for that, I love fire, I love setting fire to things and watch it burn and I love sitting by an open fire – big or small, it makes me feel happy and no matter about the scientific explanations for it, fire is inherently magical.  To quote Theodore Roszak “Unless the eye catch fire, the god will not be seen”. 

Fire was described by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus as being the universal cause,  when he was writing in the 6th century BCE. He believed that fire was ‘intelligent’. Many hundreds of years later this view would still be echoed through the archives of time in the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster.  It is a masculine element, associated with the concept of “The Word” (Logos) and in the physical macrocosm it is most obviously manifest in as the Sun in the sky.   Fire is the great transformer, whilst being in some ways the least obvious in the physical world around us (after all air, water and earth are all more physically manifest) the manifestation of fire is that of light, caused by the light of the Sun and enabling us to see and for life on Earth to flourish and grow. 

Its creative and destructive power is contained within every tiny spark and flame.  Right now parts of the world are experiencing extreme heatwaves and are facing fierce forest firest, whilst here in the UK we are experiencing a “mini-ice age” as the ground is covered in snow and ice, and we (especially humans) have to rely on fire for warmth and protection.   Fire is an element which embodies the concept of control very well, reminding us that venturing into the wonderful world of the mystical, we need to find a balance and continiously strive towards perfect, to avoid burning our fingers whilst at the same time keeping warm enough.

 Sweet fire the sire of muse, my soul needs this;
I want the one rapture of an inspiration.
O then if in my lagging lines you miss…  [Hopkins]

Practical Elemental Magick!

My latest project, co-written with David, will be released very soon.  Pre-orders are now being taken for “Practical Elemental Magick” which follows in the footsteps of “Practical Planetary Magick” published back in 2006.  See Avalonia Books for details of how to order.

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Practical Elemental Magick

Working the Magick of the Four Elements – Air, Fire, Water & Earth – in the Western Mystery Tradition

Sorita d’Este & David Rankine

Working magick with the elements helps to connect us to the tangibly present natural powers in our physical world, whilst at the same time we are returning to the building blocks of magick by rooting our feet in the material world. Since Empedocles formalized the system in ancient Greece in the 5th century BCE, the four elements have become an integral part of the Western Esoteric Tradition – passing from ancient Greek magick, through the Qabalah, & Grimoire Traditions into modern derivative traditions of ceremonial magick and paganism.

In Practical Elemental Magick the authors provide an unprecedented combination of research and techniques for working the magick of Air, Fire, Water and Earth, as well as the spiritual creatures associated with each. The Elemental Gods, Archangels, rulers and other types of elemental beings (including Sylphs, Salamanders, Undines & Gnomes) are discussed and explored. Both the spiritual and physical aspects of the four elements are considered, together with how they interact with each other and their appropriate use for magickal work.

The creation and use of Elementaries (Elemental Thought Forms); Elemental Tools, the Elemental Tides and correspondences are all considered in detail, together with previously unavailable original ritual & meditative material including the Unification Rite, the Inner Talisman, the Elemental Pyramids, the Elemental Magick Circle & the Elemental Temples. In mastering the four elements within & without we master ourselves, bringing the external forces of the natural world & the internal forces of our existence into harmony.

In addition to being available directly from Avalonia Books, you should also be able to order this book from all kinds of good online bookshops such as Amazon; as well as occult bookshops with style – very soon.